The Dynamics of Choice in a Changing World: Effects of Full and Partial Feedback

Overview

Journal Mem Cognit

Specialty Psychology

Date 2016 Jul 29

PMID 27464492

Citations 1

Authors

Judith Avrahami

Yaakov Kareev

Klaus Fiedler

Affiliations

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Abstract

We explored the dynamics of choice behavior while the values of the options changed, unannounced, several times. In particular, choice dynamics were compared when the outcome values of all available options were known (full feedback) and when the outcome value of only the chosen option was known (partial feedback). The frequency of change, the values of the options, and the difference between them were also manipulated. In an experiment with N = 427, we found that the patterns of choices were different for the two levels of feedback. Whereas behavior in the full-feedback condition showed a tendency to switch choices following a missed opportunity-replicating previous findings-the behavior in the partial-feedback condition was different. It was sensitive to the outcome value of the chosen option in comparison to some memory of the last-experienced outcome value of the unchosen option. However, the comparison of these two values influenced choice behavior only when the outcome of the currently chosen option was satisfactory and the last outcome of the unchosen one was not. As expected, the other manipulated variables (change frequency, the options' values, and the difference between them) had no effect on the dynamics of behavior.

Citing Articles

Patterns of choice adaptation in dynamic risky environments.

Konstantinidis E, Harman J, Gonzalez C Mem Cognit. 2022; 50(4):864-881.

PMID: 35258779 PMC: 9018651. DOI: 10.3758/s13421-021-01244-4.

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